Tool holding means for automatic screw machines



Dec. 17, 1946.

J. R. SMI TH TOOL HOLDING MEANS FOR AUTOMATIC SCREW MACHINES 2 Shee ts-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 11, 1944 4 mm 8 M, 6

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7 a w, w a Z z n J. 4 5&3 E E .IFII 4M 5 u a J. R. SMITH TOOL HOLDING MEANS FOR AUTOMATIC SCREW MACHINES Filed Dec. 11, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. E, 1946 TOOL HGLDING MEANS FOR AUTOMATIC SCREW MACHINES John R. Smith, Cleveland, Ohio Application December 11, 1944, Serial No. 567,714

2 Claims. 1

My present invention pertains to the art of automatic screw machines and embodies partic ularly certain novel tool holding means for such machines.

My present improvements are especially adapted for use in conjunction with Brown & Sharpe automatic screw machines, though they may be well adapted to other automatic screw machines of the same general class.

A special object of my invention has been to provide an improved tool holder involving the use of complemental tool supporting or carrying members adapted to support tool or work holding blocks, and a special objective achieved by my improvement lies in provisions for the quick adjustment orremoval of the said blocks permitting of quick adjustment and interchanging of toolinembers as .may be required for different kinds of operations of theyautomatic screw machines. With the use'of the improvement of my invention, the work entailed in adjusting and removing tool blocks or members is greatlyreduced by reason of the provision for the quick adjustmentand removal or'interchanging of the tool parts obtained by the'employment of my invention under practicalconditions of service. 'A further object of my invention has been to provide tool holding means which may be employed on either the, front or back slide of a screw machine, 'andwherein'a tool may be passed over or under the spindle Which may run either forwardly or 'backwardly.

Still another feature of *my invention lies in the specific adjusting provisions utilized for the adjustment of the tool or work supporting block of the tool carrying members and the additional provisions for the quick setting or locking of these members at the desired adjustment once obtained.

While my invention in its preferred embodithe improved tool holding unit of my invention.

Figure 2 is a view in elevation looking toward the end of the tool holding .unit.

Figure 3 is arearlview f thetool holder alone and bringing cout .more clearly the/arrangement 2 l and mounting of the adjusting screw and the setting or locking screw.

' Figure 4 is avertical sectional view of the tool holder taken about on the line 4-4 of Figure 3. Figure 5 is atop plan view of the tool holder alone.

Figure 6 is a side view of one of the tool carrying members showing the tool block thereof in position, the latter being interchangeable with a. work supporting block and dependent upon the particular type of operation that is to be performed by the use of the invention. i

Figure 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of the rear portion of the tool holding unit.

Describing my inventionin detail in particular "relation to the improvements thereof, '1 refer first to Figure l of the drawings in which are shown the front cross slides as conventionally used in a Brown & Sharpe automatic screw machine, the same being designated at -I. This cross slide l carries the risingblock 2 upon which is mounted screw bolt 8 which pass through the portion 3a l of the tool post3.

The tool holding unit of :my invention is composed of two complemental members, the upper member and :the lower member 8. These two members are in theform, generally speaking, of upper and lower jaws, respectively. Th membets :7 and -8 are supported in a pivotal manner upon the portion 3a of the tool post 3, said-memsbers 1 and 8 each being formed with apivoting bearing sleeve portion 3 as seen in Figure -6 in :respect' to the upper member 1 and said bearing :sleeve'portions' s being disposed side by side When the parts and '8 .areassemb1edin superposed relation to each other upon the tool post 3. The sleeve 5 passes through the bearing member 9 .of the .parts I and 8' as well as through the horizontal openings .inrthe portiont3a of the tool post,

and .the members Sso connect the toollholding members :1 and'B as to permit rof pivotal movement rof the latter relatively 5150 their axis upon the post 3. The members I .and 8 are of like construction and are interchangeable, so that theymaybereversed in reference to their positions as illustrated in Figure 1 ifthe nature of thework so requires.

1It .willibe seenxthatthe tool holdingmember 7 :is equipped with the adjustable 1 and'removable 10 as illustrated in Figure 4.

tool block 16 which is disposed in a seat H cut out from the structure of the member 1 at its outer free end portion. For attaching the tool block m in position upon the member 1, I form the outer end of said member I with a longitudinal central slot I2 through which the headed screw [3 passes, the said screw being screwed into a suitable threaded opening I4 in the block It]. To accurately support the tool block H) in position beneath the outer end portion of the member 1, I provide at the upper surface of 1 be a carbide insert such as designated at l6.

The tool holding member '8 is of substantially identical construction with the member 1 except that, as shown in the drawings, the member 8 is illustrated-as carrying the roll supporting block l1, the roller l8 of which is mounted rotatably in the block in the manner shown in Figure 4 and Figure 2. The block [1 is held in place by means similar to the means used for connecting the block I0 with the upper tool carrying member 1. Inother words, the lower member 8 is slotted atlesimilarly to the upper member 1 and a screw bolt is employed to attach the block l1 to the member 8 in a position somewhat reverse to the disposition of the tool block v It is contemplated that the block l1 shall be provided on its underside with a rib 2| to enter a kerf or groove at the upper side of the supporting portion of the tool holding'member 8.

Since the parts [1 and in are interchangeable,

it will be understood that the shaving tool l6 may pass beneath or over the work with spindle running backwardly or forwardly by properly emplacing the tool block [6 either upon the member 1 or upon the member 8, as may be desired.

Inother words, the parts I0 and I1 may be reyersed in performing shaving operations.

It will be apparent that in order to adjust the gmembers land 1, or remove and replace them, .onlyinvolves the operation of a slight turn of unscrewing movement to the screws I3 and 20 and either member 10 or I1 may thus be quickly detached from its supporting part 1 or 8, as the case may be, and just as quickly replaced and firmly adjusted in position. This is an advantage derived from my invention that I do not believe is obtained in the use of any tools for the same purpose as my invention, as heretofore known in the art.

For relative adjustment of the members 1 and 8 for correspondingly adjusting the parts l0 and i1, and i8, relatively to each other, I provide a special" screw adjusting device working in con- '5, it will be seen from Figure 5 that the upper member 1 is illustrated as being formed at its rear or:innerend with two bearing lugs 22 and 23;;The bearing lug'22 has 'aniupwardly extending bearing slot 24 therein and the bearing lug 23 has a downwardly opening bearing slot 25 therein. These bearing slots 24 and 25 receive the trunnion members 26 at the end of a bearing block 21, one of which is provided for each of the members 1 and 8. The bearing block 21 may rotate on its trunnions 26 within the slots 24 and 25.

When the two members1 and 8 are assembled, and looking at them from their rear ends, the downwardly opening slot 25 of the bearing member 23 opens toward the open end portion of a similar slot in the lower member 8, whereas the upwardly opening slot 24 of the member 22 opens upwardly and is opposite a similar slot in the lower member 8 which opens downwardly. Figure 3 illustrates the above feature more clearly than the other views of the drawings, and the right bearing member for the tool holding member 8 is designated 28 and the left one 29'. In this figure it wil be seen that the bearing slots of the members 22 and 28 are open in opposite directions whilst the slots of the members 23 and 29 are open toward each other. A bearing block 30 similar to the bearing block 21 has trunnions 26 similar to those previously described, the same being in the slots of the parts 28. and 29.

Connecting the bearing blocks 21 and 30, as seen in Figure 3, is the adjusting screw 3|, the same formed with right and left hand threads at the opposite ends thereof. The threads of one direction pass through the block 21 and the threads of the other direction pass through the block36. By turning the screw 3| by application of a screw driver to its upper end where a suitable kerf is provided, the tool holding members i and 8 may be given pivotalmovement for adjusting them to their proper accurate position. After the adjustment is obtained, the members 1 and 8 may be locked in such adjustment by the provision of the locking or setting screws designated 32 and 33, the screw 32 being carried in the block 21 and the screw 33 carried inpthe block 36, the adjacent ends of these screws being adaptedto abut with one another for locking impingement or setting action. Screw driver application kerfs are provided in opposite ends of the screw 3| and in the upper end of the screw 32 and lower end of the screw 33.

,By means of the adjusting and setting devices just described it will be apparent that the block carrying outer ends of the members1 and 8 may be very quickly adjusted and locked in their proper relative position for use on the screw machine in the actual work to be performed by the shaving block or tool I 6 and. the supporting block l1.

Effectively speaking, the reason for the peculiar arrangement of the slots in the bearing members 22, 25, 29, and 28 is to enable the bearing blocks "21 and 30 to exert pressure on the inner ends of the oppositely extending slots of the members 22 and 28 for pulling on the members 22 and'28 to separate the outer end of the tool carrying members 1 and 8. On the other hand, the bearing blocks 21 and 36, through the left handptrunnion seen in Figure 3, when separated by means of the adjusting screw 3|, will exert a pushing effect on the ends of the slots which open toward each other, thereby to cause the outer ends of the tool carrying members 1 and 8 to move toward each other. 1 i

Once the desired adjustment of the parts ID and", relatively'to each other, has beenobstained by'means of themovement of the tool carrying members 1 and 8, the setting or looking screws 32 and 33 are adjusted so as to impinge each other and thereby lock the parts I and 8 in their fixed adjusted position.

From the foregoing-it will be apparent that I have povided a simple and novel construction of tool holder adapted for the purposes stated, wherein, by the simple partial turning of the screw bolts I 3 and 2E], the tool blocks or roll or work supporting blocks that may be carried by the members 1' and 8 may be quickly removed and replaced, utilizing a minimum amount of time of the expert workman handling the machine.

Also, in order to adjust the tool H), or any equivalent tool or tools that may be carried by the members i and 8, as well as a work holding member or supporting member that may be carried by one of the members I and 8, the tool and/or work supporting means may be quickly brought into its proper position for operating upon the work or supporting the work, as the case may be, and after being so adjusted, the parts 'i and S with the corresponding part In and/or H may be locked in their adjusted positions in the manner previously described in connection with the action of the parts 32 and 33.

The adjusting screw holds the bearing blocks 21 rigid in parallel relation with their trunnions properly seated at the inner ends of the slots of the bearing members of the parts I and 8.

As seen in Figures 1, 4, and 2, most clearly, the work supporting roller [8 is carried by a shaft Mia which is fixed from displacement in bearings in the opposite sides of the block I! by means of a set screw I8b. This set screw permits of detachment of the shaft [8a and removal and replacement of the roller 18 in a quick manner.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

i. In tool holding means for automatic screw machines or the like, a tool holding unit comprising upper and lower complemental tool holding members movably connected together intermediate their ends, corresponding ends of the said members being adapted to receive a tool, and a connecting unit intermediate the opposite ends of said members including oppositely acting screw members for moving the said members toward and from each other, combined with a rotative bearing member on each tool holding member having threaded engagement with each of said screw members.

2. Tool holding means as claimed in claim 1, in which the said screw members are oppositely threaded, each rotative bearing member on each tool holding member having threaded engagement with its associated screw member, one bearing member provided with trunnions for pushing and the other provided with trunnions for pulling engagement with the tool holding members.

JOHN B. SMITH. 

